The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 is Mark Parker’s Masterpiece
This article was first published on November 29, 2019.
Hired straight out of college as a footwear designer and product tester in 1979, career at spans an incredible 40 years. From his work with and at HTM to his projects at Nike’s Innovation Kitchen, Parker has played a role in some of the most iconic sneakers in history. An innovator in the purest sense of the word, Parker oversaw the production of Alpha Project’s , Nike’s first-ever visible air unit, the cult-favourite Zvezdochka, and numerous other icons in Nike’s cannon. But it’s the Nike that’s undoubtedly Mark Parker’s masterpiece. Nearly three decades in the making, the HyperAdapt is Parker’s supernova, radically altering the ways we perceive design. A blueprint for the future, the HyperAdapt will continue to revolutionise the footwear industry long after Mark Parker steps down on January 13, 2020.
‘In the Future, the Product Will Come Alive’
The HyperAdapt 1.0 is just the first step in the revolution of adaptive footwear. More than just a sneaker, it imagines a new world of footwear solutions. Tiffany Beers described the sneaker as a ‘platform’, terminology normally reserved for Silicon Valley. Like any new technology, it will continue to exist in a nebulous stage until further defined. Who knows how the ‘platform’ will grow, ‘update’ and collide with other technologies? Right now, it’s the closest thing we have to a living, breathing organism on your feet – just like Parker hypothesised all the way back in 1988.
This year, Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum debuted the Nike , a laceless basketball shoe manipulated via a phone app. It was the first time in NBA history that a player took to the court in auto-lacing basketball shoes. The potential is immense. Imagine having a sneaker that can react to your movements in real time. Beyond athletics, think of the benefits for those with severe arthritis or similar medical conditions.
One could be forgiven for believing that the HyperAdapt 1.0, Nike’s first real foray into adaptive lacing, would resemble something like the crude animatronics of 1980s science fiction. But it doesn’t. The HyperAdapt 1.0 is as aesthetically satisfying as it is game-changing and is undoubtedly Mark Parker’s magnum opus in an overwhelming body of work. Yes, Marty McFly would be proud. Where we’re going, we don’t need laces (or a DeLorean to get there).